Kid Rock

Reviewed by:
David Peisner

Kid Rock stole every move he’s got, but somehow his grab bag of borrowed charms amounts to a singular personality. His latest dials back the rap, leaving a record so steeped in classic rock mythos that every song sounds like you’ve heard it a thousand times already. Keeping the influences straight is dizzying: Black Sabbath, Keith Richards, Journey, Guns ’N Roses, and ZZ Top all make unwitting contributions, with the exception of ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, who’s featured on the aptly named “Hillbilly Stomp.” Most of the ballads sound like Bob Seger, except for “Hard Night for Sarah,” which actually is an unrecorded Seger song. Throw in “Intro,” which samples Run-DMC and name-checks another half-dozen influences, and a faithful cover of Bad Company’s “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” and suddenly, the fact that Rock’s own persona peeks through at all feels like a minor miracle.

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